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R E A D I N GStep 1: Identify people who can & will

impact your future

■Make a list of possible future employers and identify specific people inside these organizations.

■Make a list of critical people in your department such as the dean, dean’s secretary, the chair, professors of advanced classes, department advisers, etc.

■Seek out and make a list of people successful at what you are considering doing. Want to become a pediatrician or a lawyer? Find out who the top people in that field are.

■Identify local chapters of associations relating to your field.

R E A D I N GStep 2: Proactively reach out (aka build

your network of friends before you need them)

■Go see your professors during office hours… especially the during first few weeks… because most people won’t

■Introduce yourself to people in your department (after first few weeks. It’s less busier and fewer faces to remember)

■Identify places people meet… and hang out/study there

■Find non-profits that you are passionate about… that have influential people as supporters… so you can interact with them in a non-professional setting.

Step 3: Cause them to recognize & remember you by giving something of value

■Humor is a universal gift

■Join discussions

■Ponder Pearls (starts at $25/month) is something I give

■Introduce professors in different departments to each other

■First be interested, then be interesting

■Interview them and publish it on a blog

■Offer to work for free (if you can afford to)

Step 4: Get personal with them

■Find out their birthdays

■Find out what they are passionate about

■Ask them to mentor you (when it makes sense)

■Invite them have lunch/dinner with you and a few other interesting people

READING

READING

Step 5: Commit to relationship building as a life-long discipline

■Start Now! It’s never too early… or too late

■Take down names and ask people their email

■Use High-rise (250 contacts free) to track people you meet

■Sign up for Plaxo (free) so your address book stays accurate

■Get an email (from Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo) that you will keep forever

■Think 5 years ahead in terms of relationships you’ll need

■Set aside 30 minutes every day to reach out to people

ORAL

1. It is good to build relationships everywhere in your home, at school, at work its just better for you in the long run and it helps you get through any tough situation you might encounter and don’t want to go through alone.

2. Everyone needs someone in their corner no matter how tough a person may appear to be they need someone just as well as the next person.

3. There are different types of relationships as well not just in college.